Holiday Magic
by DanMat6288
Summary: Christmas is, by far, Ricky Affeber's favorite time of year. But, an older boy genius's stinging words may dampen the child's holiday spirit. Rated for said stinging words and a killer flying animal.
1. Letter for Saint Nick

_Deck the halls with chapters of fanfics. Fa-la-la-la-la la-la-la-la... Um, yeah... anyway, this is my new fanfic (so new, I'm still writing chapter 3), a _Code Lyoko_ Christmas special I have titled "Holiday Magic". This story will contain good, bad, and ugly. And, I hope you like the story as a whole. The following are responses to reviews recieved on the final chapter of the _Code Lyoko _Halloween special, "Nightmare on Kadic Street"._

_katfish xX - Careful, you could give yourself indigestion._

_IAmTheBoss - Odd's got one of the best costumes there. XD Methuselah should know, he made most of the costumes._

_Ulrich's Hot Girlfriend - "Touche", to the best of my knowledge, basically means something along the lines of "back at you"._

_WhisperingNights - Was it awesome or great? Or both? OK, don't answer that, I'm just being silly. XD;_

**Holiday Magic**

**Chapter 1: Letter for Saint Nick**

The young boy peered out from where he hid, looking over the landscape. Everything appeared to be calm.

He kept his weapon at hand, just in case, and moved on to another safe location. And, just when the coast seemed clear and he stepped out...

WHACK! A snow projectile landed him right against his side. The thrower, Hiroki Ishiyama, got up laughing. "Gotcha!"

Next thing he knew, he was hit in the face by Ricky's snowball. "Hey, no fair!" he whined.

The boy genius, Ricky Affeber, grinned and replied, "As stated by John Lyly in 1578, 'all's fair in love and war'. And I love nailing ya' with snowballs!"

As he laughed, Hiroki retorted, "Oh, yeah? Two can play at that game!"

* * *

As the two boys continued their snowball fight, the gang we all know and love sat in the living room. Rinoka Ishiyama, mother of the Yumi and Hiroki, had made them all hot cocoa and left them to their business. As for her husband, Takeo, he was at an important business meeting that even snow couldn't delay. 

"I went through a lot of trouble convincing my parents to let me stay at the academy over the holiday," stated Kitty Boy of Lyoko, Odd Della Robbia.

Jeremie Belpois, the reincarnation of Einstein, blew on his cup for a moment and responded, "Me, too. But, if I plan on decoding that diary we found, I'm gonna need all the time I can get."

"Just imagine what we might learn from Franz Hopper's notes," said Aelita Stones. "The origin of Lyoko... how X.A.N.A. and I came to be..."

Yumi pointed out, "Not to mention, we'll have to stay to keep our eyes out for any of X.A.N.A.'s new tricks."

Ulrich Stern smiled and said, "You know, the upcoming Christmas Dance they're throwing for everyone who stayed turned out to be a great excuse. Convincing our parents to let us stay became a lot easier the moment we caught wind of that."

Odd grinned. "Yeah! Now, all I need to do is find a date to take."

His best friend cracked a smile at him and warned him, "You know, at the rate you're dating girls, I won't be surprised if you're fresh out of options by the end of the year."

Kitty Boy shrugged and asked, "What can I say? No girl can resist this style."

"That is, until _after_ they've dated the boy with the style," laughed Einstein.

Everyone laughed except Odd, who asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

* * *

That evening, Ulrich was changing for the night when his little cousin stepped in. "Hi. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you would look over my letter to Santa for me, and tell me what you think." 

Ulrich smiled and said, "Sure why not?" He took the letter and read it.

* * *

_Dear Saint Nick Claus,_

_Hi, this is Ricky, the little boy genius. How's arctic life been for you? Have the reindeer been well fed? Have your elves been working proficiently for the holiday? How's Martha doing?_

* * *

Ulrich looked up from the letter with a funny look. "Who's Martha?" 

"That's his wife's first name. At least, according to the website I visit."

The older cousin just shrugged and went back to the letter.

* * *

_Pego came out with a building block scale model of Crash Nebula's spaceship, and I've had my eye on that. Think you could get that for me? Oh, and I'm also hoping for the new Ecto-Force video game. But, of course, I also want world peace, super strength, a jet pack, and meat vision._

* * *

The older cousin cocked an eyebrow. "Dare I ask about the 'meat vision' thing?" 

"What?" asked Ricky defensively. "Who _wouldn't_ want the power to fire hotdogs from their eyes?"

"I'll... just decide not to answer that."

* * *

_But, above all, I hope that my cousin and his friends can free Aeleetie from the Supercomputer and stop the evil X.A.N.A. from taking over the human world. I'm sure they'll all appreciate any help you can give us._

* * *

Lowering the letter, Ulrich stared sternly down at his cousin. "Hey, you swore an oath of silence when you convinced us not to wipe your memory!" 

"Come on!" he cried. "As if Santa doesn't know about Lyoko already? _Saint Nicholas sees all!_" he added dramatically, pointing to an eye with each finger, and then rotating them horizontally out 180 degrees.

His older cousin rolled his eyes as he said, "You'd probably go well with cheese and lettuce on a sandwich, because you are such a ham."

The silly little genius beamed as Ulrich read the last of the note.

* * *

_I will eagerly await what marvelous deeds you will pull come the most wonderful time of the year. Happy holidays._

_Sincerely yours,  
Patrick N. Affeber_

* * *

As Ulrich handed him his letter back, he said, "I can give you one thing: you've got quite a vocabulary." 

He smiled and said, "Yeah, I can be pretty precocious when I put my mind to it."

"So, how's big and little cuz this evening, huh?" asked Odd as he entered the room.

Ulrich shrugged casually as he responded, "Ah, could be better, could be worse. So, did you hear from Jeremie on that diary?"

As if on cue, the preadolescent child prodigy entered. "I've made a head start, but like I said before, it could be a long time."

"Don't worry, Jerry," grinned the smaller genius. "Anything's possible when old Saint Nick weaves his magic."

Jeremie just stared at Ricky for a moment, and then he laughed, "We can always trust on your little cousin to say something funny, huh, Ulrich?"

"What's so funny about that?" asked the little boy. "I mean it."

The older genius stared at the younger one. "Surely, you don't actually believe in something so illogical."

"Of course, I do! Why wouldn't I? P.S.: Don't call me Shirley."

Jeremie shook his head, ignoring the last part. "One obese man living in arctic climate and delivering presents to every child in the world in one night? It sounds pretty impossible, if you ask me."

Ricky's expression faltered. "Wh-what are you saying?"

"OK, Ricky, let's try to be realistic. There are billions of children around the world and only 12 hours to travel around the world. A person would have to travel at supersonic speed, and the friction from the atmosphere is bound to burn up anyone who tries it. It's just too illogical; there is no Santa Claus!"

Tears had begun to weld up in Ricky's eyes as Jeremie went on, until he finally exploded, "YOU'RE WRONG!! THERE _IS_ A SANTA CLAUS!! I KNOW THERE IS!!" With that, he ran from the room, slamming the door behind him and crying as he went.

Jeremie just stood there gaping at the door. Odd shook his head, and Ulrich folded his arms. "Well, nice going, _Einstein_," he spat.

"I wasn't... I didn't mean to..." But, the shameful Jeremie couldn't find the right thing to say. Closing his eyes, he whispered to no one in particular, "_I'm so sorry, Ricky._"

_Well, there you have some of the good as well as the ugly. I felt the need to rate this K+ due to what Jeremie tells Ricky, just in case any little kids get offended. So, what's in store for the Lyoko gang this holiday season? Why was Jeremie such a Grinch towards Ricky regarding Santa Claus? And, who will Odd take to the dance? XD Find out at a later date as "Holiday Magic" continues._


	2. Blue Christmas

_Merry Christmas Eve Eve, everybody! Here's a little stocking stuffer I'm sure everybody will like: the next chapter of one of my stories! XD YAY! Ahem... anyway, I answer your reviews, as usual..._

_SamandMax0569 - As Odd once put, "Our good buddy, Einstein, may be a computer whiz, but diplomatically, he's..." and, as Aelita finished, "a total lameo." Those are some pretty good guesses._

_IAmTheBoss - I know. No Santa? What is the world coming to?_

_Ricky: An end?_

_katfish xX - Ah, be careful what you wish for. You just might get it._

**Holiday Magic**

**Chapter 2: Blue Christmas**

The next morning, everybody's favorite pink-haired princess stepped out of her dorm, headed for the bathroom. In her hand was held her beloved doll, Mr. Puck.

"_Well, well, look who decided to stay for the holidays._"

With an internal sigh, Aelita asked, "What do you want, Sissi?"

"Oh, just to wish you a good morning and a merry upcoming Christmas," she replied innocently.

Unable to resist, Aelita added, "And, to tell me you used up all the hot water?"

Sissi scowled. "Do yourself a favor, Stones, and ease up on the wise cracks. It's bad enough from your cousin." Her eyes fell on the plush toy, and she instantly snatched it up. "And, grow up, will you? I stopped playing with dolls when I was 8."

In response, she cried, "Give him back!"

"Well, gee, Mrs. Einstein, why don't you make me?" she teased, dangling the doll by an arm above their heads. Determined to get Mr. Puck back, Aelita jumped up and grabbed one of his legs. Next moment, both girls were in a tug of war over the plushie.

"Stop it, Sissi!" she yelled as she tugged. "You can't take Mr. Puck from me like this!"

"Face it, Aelita, I'm doing you a favor by relieving you of this," Sissi responded.

**_RIIIIIP!!_** If you think that didn't sound good... you're right.

* * *

Yumi sat down next to her emotionally injured friend, who held Mr. Puck's two halves in her hands. "Sissi's really gone too far this time." 

"Oh, Mr. Puck," Aelita cried softly, hugging the pieces.

"Don't worry about it, Aelita," said Yumi, placing a hand on her shoulder for emotional support. "Methuselah should be able to fix it. I've seen him mend a tear in Milly's teddy bear."

That's when the boys made their appearance, and Odd frowned to tell them, "No, Methuselah went home for the holidays. What happened to Mr. Puck?"

"A tug of war went out between Aelita and Sissi," grimly explained Yumi.

Ulrich frowned and groaned, "As if there isn't enough grief this holiday as it is. Apparently, someone has no respect for childhood beliefs." He glanced at Jeremie as he said it.

Einstein folded his arms and turned away. "You think I already feel bad enough about it as it is? I didn't mean to hurt his feelings, it's just... It's really complicated, OK?"

"What's so complicated?" challenged Odd. "What was your reason behind being such a Grinch towards Ricky?"

Jeremie closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled. "It happened several years ago, when I was around Ricky's age."

* * *

**FLASHBACK - 5 YEARS:** _(with voice-over narration)_

An ecstatic 7-year-old boy raced down the stairs and cheered as he joined his family near the many presents under the tree.

_I, too, believed in Santa then. And, I was always excited about what I might get from him on Christmas._

Michel Belpois smiled and handed the young boy his first gift to open.

_That year, there was one thing I so desperately wanted more than anything: a new 3D software that had come out called ProCAD 1999. I wrote my letter to Santa begging to have it, and showed model behavior the entire month just so I knew he would see me fit to get it._

Jeremie tore the wrapping off excitedly. But, when he saw his present was not the 3D software he desired, his smile began to fade.

_I opened present after present, but it was in none of them._

As the little boy opened the last gift, not seeing what he desired, he sat there and softly cried to himself.

* * *

**RETURN TO THE PRESENT, NOW:**

"I'd never felt so disappointed as I did then," Jeremie finished softly. "And, since then, I had lost faith in Santa Claus."

Aelita stared up at him. "You figured you'd tell him yourself, before he had a disappointing Christmas himself," she guessed.

Jeremie grimly nodded. "Now, I guess he would've had a blue Christmas either way."

"Well, what if you did something that got you on Santa's naughty list anyway?" Odd thought aloud.

"If you remember my story, I was behaving my best just to stay on his nice list," reminded Jeremie.

The Kitty Boy grinned as he brought up, "Lemonade-Bread Incident?"

At once, the boy genius rounded on him saying, "OK, 1) that was an accident, 2) you weren't there, so you have no right to bring that up, and 3) that incident happened _after_ my blue Christmas!"

Odd raised his hands in defense. "OK, sorry! Just a thought!"

As Jeremie sighed and stared off into space, he said softly, "One thing's for sure. If anyone needs a Christmas miracle now, it's Ricky."

* * *

The next afternoon found Jeremie alone in the lab. He sat trying to crack through the code of the mysterious diary, something in the back of his mind kept nagging and nagging at him. How could he make it up to Ricky? He felt awful for what he told to him, and the memory of his heartbroken reaction made it feel even worse. 

It depressed him so much, it took him a minute to notice the alert from the Super Scanner calling for his attention. "Huh?" He tried to get a good look at the coordinates so he could alert his friends when he heard a sound behind him. The moment he turned and saw what was behind him, he screamed.

_Well, the truth is known about Jeremie's blue Christmas. And, everyone's favorite mad supercomputer is on the attack. What happened to Jeremie? What was the Lemonade-Bread Incident (actually, one author here should know what that is, since I kind of took that from them; if anyone who remembers who the incident was thought up by, tell me and I'll give them credit)? And, seriously, who _wouldn't_ want the power to fire hotdogs from their eyes?_

_By the way, Jeremie's blue Christmas story was inspired by Jimmy Neutron, who wanted that piece of a dwarf star. The proCAD program is based off of AutoCAD, which we use at our school, and it will have some importance in a future story, just to give you a heads up._


	3. Killer Comet

_Merry 4th day of Christmas with your 4 calling birds! XD Here's the responses to your reviews, and then the next chapter of my story._

_Dlbn - You'll just have to read on to find out._

_IAmTheBoss - I know I read about a "Lemonade-Bread Incident" somwhere, and it involved Jeremie and his siblings. Oh, well. I'm sure someone will remember it._

_katfish xX - (sees a little 4-year-old boy run by without what the review randomly said) Little streakers that age are both freaky and cute at the same time._

_SamandMax0569 - ...It's an elective._

_aelitafan13 - Merry Christmas to all, and to all... oh, you know the rest._

_TeiaRyku - Already done. _

_Donna - Would wings feed you if you ever don't have access to food? XD_

_Well, enough chit-chat. Back to the show._

**Holiday Magic**

**Chapter 3: Killer Comet**

"So, this is your brother?" Emily Leduc asked her friend, Heidi Klinger, who nodded.

"He'll be over with Mom, while she volunteers at the dance," she explained while the blonde-haired 9-year-old in an electric wheelchair smiled and waved.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Roger," Emily told the boy.

"Likewise," he replied. "You know, if I can convince my parents, they may actually let me enroll at this school next year. I mean, Heidi will be here to give me any help I might need, right?"

"I guess that makes sense," she replied.

Roger then frowned and rolled his eyes. "Then, try telling that to Mom and Dad."

Heidi sighed and leaned down to her little brother's wheelchair. "Come on, Roger, I know they may seem a little overbearing to you, but it's just so much harder to raise a handicapped child, and they don't want anything to happen to you."

He smiled a little. "I guess you're right, sis."

"Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting anything," said Odd as he entered the scene.

"Not really," replied Roger. "You're... Odd Della Robbia, right?"

"The one and only," he grinned, striking a pose. "How'd you guess?"

The younger boy chuckled. "It was either the spiky hairdo or the scrawny figure."

"Uh, that's svelte," he corrected. "There's a difference." He turned his attention to the boy's older sister. "Anyway, Heidi, I was wondering if you had a date to the upcoming Christmas dance."

"Sorry, Odd, but I have to help my mother at the dance, so I won't have time for a date," she told him. "Maybe we could go out later in the year."

"Oh, OK then," he replied with a frown before turning to Emily who barked, "Don't even think about it!"

"Alright, fine! I won't ask you!"

As Odd left he met up with the Stern-Affeber cousins. The moment Ulrich saw him, he asked, "Hey, Odd, have you seen Jeremie lately?"

He shook his head. "No. You mean, you haven't either?"

"Not since he went to work on Hopper's diary at the factory four hours ago," he said. "I'm starting to worry, Odd. You'd figure we would've heard from him by now."

Ricky folded his arms and looked away bitterly. "Who cares?"

Rounding on him, his older cousin scolded, "Patrick, I know he really hurt your feeling a few days ago, but that's really mean of you to talk that way. What if something serious happened to him?"

The younger boy looked up at him in understanding. "You mean, something serious named X.A.N.A.?" He then smiled and said optimistically, "Don't worry. I'm sure Jerry's fine. Maybe he's working on something to make up for being such a Grinch."

At that moment, the girls appeared, and Aelita reported, "Still no sign of Jeremie, but the Super Scanner picked up an activated tower in the Desert Sector."

"And, according to the news, Comet from the Santa's reindeer display, came to life and started wrecking the mall," added Yumi. "Looks like Xanafication to me."

Quick as a wink, Ricky's optimistic temperament went bitter again. "Attacking with a holiday icon!? Does X.A.N.A. have no respect for even a holiday like this one!?"

"Whoa, easy with the mood swings," said his bemused cousin. "What, are you going through pre-puberty or something?" Ricky shrugged and said nothing more, so Ulrich continued, "Anyway, we better get moving on this one. Yumi and I will head for the mall to deal with Comet. Aelita and Odd, you go to Lyoko, and Ricky, you man the Supercomputer to help keep us in contact with each other."

Ricky grinned at Ulrich's choice of words. "Today... I am a man!"

As he and Yumi started to leave, Ulrich turned to say, "Don't kid yourself."

* * *

A mall employee had barely enough time to get out of the way as the rogue reindeer smashed his cocoa stand to the ground. Panicking people ran this way and that as the Xanafied Comet turned to look for something else to crush. 

_"Hey, X.A.N.A. You better watch it or else they may open deer season again."_

Recognizing the voice of one of his enemies, Ulrich, X.A.N.A. turned Comet's head towards the mall entrance. There stood Ulrich and Yumi, so the reindeer charged.

* * *

Aelita watched as Ricky typed at the keyboard, referring to Jeremie's notes every 15 seconds. "So, you think you can do it?" 

"Probably not as good as Jerry," he admitted. "But, it shouldn't be _too_ complicated, right?"

"Hey, Mrs. and Junior Einsteins," called Odd from near the ladder to and from the passage corridor and Scanner Room. He looked up at a faint, orange glow from the corridor and asked, "Do you see what I see?"

"Way up in the sky, little cat?" Junior Einstein quoted the song.

Aelita stared at the glow and went to the ladder. "I see it too," she said. "I wonder what it is."

"There's only one way to find out," said Odd as he began to ascend the ladder. The moment he climbed over into the corridor however, the two remaining heard him cry, _"Oh, no way!"_

"What? What is it?" asked Ricky as he jumped from the computer and sprinted up next to Aelita.

_"You guys better see this for yourself,"_ they heard Odd call down. So, the two climbed up to the corridor and stood next to Odd. Aelita couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that the orange glow was coming from...

"A Guardian?" she cried.

"But, wait. There's more," said Odd, pointing inside the electric, sphere-shaped prison.

Ricky went over and peered inside. "It's Jerry!" He turned to the others and concluded, "I get it! Along with Xanafying Comet, X.A.N.A. used the activated tower to materialize this Guardian and trap Jerry, so we'd be have one less genius."

With this established, Aelita turned to the boys and said, "We'll have to get to Lyoko and deactivate the tower ASAP, then."

Ricky nodded. "Right. I'll get the procedure started then. As for you, TO THE SCANNER ROOM!"

* * *

_Insert Super Friends spoofing swirling screen with a scanner zooming in and out._

* * *

"OK, I'm sending you into the Sand Region, a little east of the activated tower," Ricky told the two older kids below. "OK, off you go. Transfer: Odd. Transfer: Aeleetie. Scanner: Odd. Scanner: Aeleetie. Virtualization!"

* * *

As the two landed, Odd smiled and cracked, "Gee, you figure the tower would be in the Ice Sector for this season." 

_"Huh, good point, Odd. Hang on for a few seconds, guys,"_ called Ricky's voice from the virtual sky. Three seconds later, a blue, translucent board formed next to their feet with a purple body forming over it. _"One Overboard, hold the wheels. Git along, little dogies."_

The two climbed aboard the board and took off in a westward direction.

_Well, X.A.N.A.'s attack and Jeremie's wareabouts are now known. As for Roger Klinger, I thought I'd give him a little appearance before I officially introduced him. Anyone who looks at my art at DeviantART has already "met" Roger. As for the part between Odd and Heidi, well Odd still has to date her later in "XANA's Kiss", right?_

_So, will Odd and Aelita make it to the tower on time? Will Ulrich and Yumi hold their own against the killer deer? What's the capital of Donald Duck's home state, Calisota? Why do I keep asking silly questions along with the serious ones? Keep reading to find out! Well, not the last two._


	4. The Candy Cane Tower

_I'm sorry, guys. I was scheduled to update this yesterday._

_SamandMax0569 - You gotta have a little faith in people. That's what a little Hawaiian girl once taught me when an earthquake making alien's actions were about to destroy the Earth. _

_??? - I forget where that incident came from. It was on another fanfiction dot net story a long time ago, and I can't find it. ; Your username reminds me of someone I once knew named I Cant Think of a Username. XD_

_Mewberries - Ah, good to see you at the fanfic site again, Mew. Hope you like how the story turns out._

**Holiday Magic**

**Chapter 4: The Candy Cane Tower**

"Get out of here, you guys!" shouted Ulrich at the frightened shoppers. "Take cover!"

Comet rammed his antlers into a stone fountain. Dodging the debris, Yumi remarked, "It's deck the halls, not wreck the malls!"

Ducking behind a counter, Ulrich pulled out his cell and speed-dialed the Supercomputer. "Hello, Ricky? How's Odd and Aelita doing?"

"_They should be nearing the activated tower within a minute,_" he heard his little cousin say. "_How 'bout you and your girlfriend?_"

Ignoring the 'girlfriend' part, due to the situation, he reported, "Not good. This guy's tough; we're getting smacked around."

"_Oh, dear._"

The older boy shook his head. "I swear you don't even try, sometimes."

"_Humor like mine's a gift._"

"Yeah, and you're real modest about it, aren't you?"

Ricky laughed. "_Very funny, cuz. Anyway, looks like our friends on Lyoko have a date with a MegaTank. Signing off._"

* * *

Upon hanging up, Ricky called to the virtual duo, "Heads up, guys! You've got Mega-company!"

* * *

Up ahead, Odd saw the large, black sphere split open to reveal the Eye staring them down. "Of course," he said. "It's our old pal's welcoming committee." 

As he said this, the MegaTank charged up Odd pulled a maneuver with his Overboard to evade the elliptical laser that came from it.

"Hang on tight, Princess," he told Aelita.

"The way you fly, do I have a choice?" she asked.

Odd shrugged. "Well, yeah; fall. But I wouldn't recommend it."

That said, he took a firm stance on the board and flew complicated and potentially dangerous stunts to avoid the MegaTank's hits, so he was avoiding danger by getting into danger. Doesn't that make sense? No, I don't think so either, but that's Odd.

"_Um, I know you're probably having fun, but my big cousin and his girlfriend are getting their posteriors booted, so you might as well hurry it up._"

"Oh, sure. Deadlines always ruin my fun," he said. Without warning, he turned around and charged his Overboard straight at the MegaTank. "Time to jump off, Aelita!" said Odd before the two abandoned ship, and the vehicle smashed straight into the monster's Eye.

Aelita ran for the tower, but three Blocks made their presence known.

"_Looks like some more playmates, Odd!_" Upon hearing Ricky say this, Odd got down on all fours and dashed over to place himself between Aelita and the monsters.

Aelita sighed and rubbed her forehead. "We don't have time for this. Ulrich and Yumi need help now!"

As she said this, red and white diagonal glows appeared around a tower in the Ice Sector.

* * *

Hiding behind the counter of a wrecked music store, Ulrich and Yumi turned to look at each other, and Ulrich said, "At this rate, I'm not sure if we'll make it out of here. And... um, just in case we don't, there's... there's something I, always wanted to..." he stammered to form the right words, blushing. 

"Yes, Ulrich?" Yumi nodded him on.

"The thing is, Yumi, I--"

**COMET SMASH!** The killer reindeer crashed his way to where the two were hiding. But, just as he was about to deliver the finishing blow, a lasso grabbed hold of him from behind and pulled him back. Taking a good look at who saved them, Ulrich, Yumi, and X.A.N.A. realized it was Santa Claus from the mall display! His eyes had the glow of an object possessed, but without the Eye to say it was by the megalomaniac program the gang fought on a regular basis.

X.A.N.A. glared at the jolly old statue through Comet's eyes. "Stay out of this, old man. This is none of your business."

Santa's eyebrow's raised. "Oh, ho ho... any business regarding the good boys and girls of the world is business of mine," he said.

Knowing the Santa statue was being controlled by a tower somewhere on Lyoko, X.A.N.A. scanned all the towers for activity until he found the one in the Ice Sector. _Well, we will just see about that, won't we, Nicholas?_

* * *

Back in the Sand Region, Odd dodged two ice beams at once while Aelita waited from safe distance. But, her location wouldn't remain safe for long as Ricky warned, "_ALERT! CODE JELLY! I REPEAT, CODE JELLY!_" 

Instantly, she saw the Scyphozoa appear just around the corner of a nearby canyon

"_You know, you might want to try running._"

"Good idea," she said, but a red outline appeared behind her and began filling in.

* * *

"Heads up! The villain has called out the heavy artillery!" warned Ricky upon seeing what was happening. A moment later, the monitor announced the appearance of the Tarantula. 

"_I'm trapped!_" he heard her cry.

"Yes, I'd say that's the appropriate word," he replied before turning the monitor's attention to Kitty Boy. "Odd, Aelita needs help _now_!"

Suddenly, another map popped up in front of him. "Huh?" He noticed the scene was in the Ice Sector, involving a pair of MegaTanks. "Holy stocking stuffers!"

Switching back to the Desert, he reported what he saw. "You're not going to believe this!" he cried as Odd faced off with the Tarantula. "That's a candy cane colored tower in the Ice Sector, and two MegaTanks are firing at it!"

* * *

As he dodged the blasts from the overgrown spider and returned fire, Odd called back, "You're right, I don't believe it. Have you been drinking too much eggnog, kid?" 

"_I'm serious! Someone else has activated a tower, and X.A.N.A.'s trying to keep them from interfering! And, I have a good idea who that someone is._"

* * *

At that moment, Ulrich's card appeared in the telephone program. "_Ricky, the craziest thing just happened! The Santa statue just--_" 

"Came to life and started defending you from Comet?" he interrupted.

"_Yeah..._" he replied hesitantly. "_How did you know?_"

"Just a hunch," said Ricky. "There's a candy cane tower in the Ice Sector, and X.A.N.A.'s trying to shut it down."

"_Shouldn't someone be protecting that tower then?_"

The smaller boy's eyebrows raised when he saw something--or someone--else appear in the Ice Sector. "I think someone's already taking care of it," he said.

* * *

A group of armed elves stood between the tower and the monsters. One of them, with the name Joey on his shirt, folded his arms narrowing his eyes at the monsters. "You better watch out." 

Another elf labeled Lenny laughed, "Hey, you just quoted that one song--"

"Can it, Lenny!" barked Joey. "We've got work to do!"

* * *

Ricky smiled as he watched the scene unfold. "Yep. Someone's already taking care of it." 

_XD Wow. Elves that kick keister! Anyway, I had the candy cane tower _not_ appear on the Super Scanner, because Hopper's white tower, later, wouldn't either. Also, I'm now using the codelyoko dot com spelling for Scyphozoa from now on, since I know that's official. Now, we know Santa leaves the naughty with coal. Let's see what he leaves the twisted and totally evil with. XD_


	5. The Toyman's Elite

_SamandMax0569 - Trust me, I'm not getting ff dot net e-mails either. Weird, huh? How do the computer program and the toyman know each other? Well..._

**Holiday Magic**

**Chapter 5: The Toyman's Elite**

Staring down the short, yet armed creatures guarding the tower, one of the MegaTanks opened up and fired at group. Joey conjured up an energy wreath that absorbed the blast.

* * *

Ricky stared in awed respect at the images on their identification cards. "Wow... the Elvin Force Five... Santa's elite... it's really them!" 

"_You visit the website, doncha kid?_" he heard Joey guess.

"_He certainly does_," piped up the elf in glasses labeled Dewey. "_Patrick Nathaniel Affeber is one of Santa's most active followers and the 7th most frequent at the website. I should know, I'm one of the lead elves in helping Santa maintain his list._"

* * *

The elf named Sammy stepped in front of the other MegaTank to block its blast as he added dryly, "And, how a Poindexter like you ended up on the E.F.F. is _way_ beyond me. That goes for the geek, here, who wants to be a dentist of all things," he added pointing to the elf named Hermey. 

"Hey, don't mock my dreams!" he whined.

"OK, break it up!" shot Joey. "Don't forget, the big guy says we gotta protect this tower by all means until the pink-haired gal gets to the other tower."

Dewey piped up again, "Yes, you mean, Aelita H--"

But, Joey cut him off. "OK, Dew, I think we all know about your knowledge of the beyond-ridiculously long list already."

* * *

Meanwhile, Odd leapt to dodge the blasts of a very angry spider, and Aelita's memory was going by the seconds. 

"_You might wanna hurry it up, Odd,_" warned Ricky. "_She's running out of memory!_"

"Almost done here," he assured. He then dived under the Tarantula, and when the monster looked underneath for the annoying boy, he sprang up from behind and landed on its back. When the monster reared its head up, Odd fired four arrows into the Eye and back flipped as it exploded.

* * *

As this was happening, Santa tossed the evil Comet across the floor. "I surrender!" he cried, but as Father Christmas walked over to the villainous deer, it swung its hind leg around, tripping the old man. 

Santa pulled himself up, glaring at him. "You always did fight dirty, didn't you, X.A.N.A.?"

* * *

At this point, Lenny and Sammy had pulled out candy cane sabers for their fight against the MegaTanks. "Gee," commented Lenny, "This X.A.N.A. guy sure is hitting us hard." 

Dewey adjusted his glasses and mused, "He never really did forgive the boss for putting him on the naughty list back in '94."

Sammy stared at him incredulously. "He's a computer program! What's he doing on the list _at all_?"

The listkeeper shrugged. "Hey, if it thinks and acts independently, it's on the list."

As he said this, Lenny flipped over, landing on one open MegaTank. As he did, he struck his sweet weapon down into the inner Eye and jumped back as the large monster blew to smithereens. "Whoo!" He caught his saber in midair and struck into a happy-go-lucky victory dance. "Oh, yeah! I got 'im! Uh-huh!"

"_LENNYBEHINDYOU!_"

"Huh?" Upon hearing Ricky's frantic warning, Lenny turned his head just in time to see an elliptical laser coming his way, and the careless elf was taken out of the game.

Joey shook his head groaning softly, "Lenny, you idiot. One of these days you're gonna get yourself killed for real."

However, just before the remaining MegaTank (the one that devirtualized Lenny, of course) could close up, another candy cane saber struck it in the Eye. Sammy was still in throwing position when it blew up.

Hermey stared around the ice barrier and at the three other survivors. "Well, at least that's over."

"_I'd like to say the same thing,_" piped up Ricky, "_but you're got two more bogies at 6:00._"

* * *

As for Aelita, well her memory was just about drained. If the Scyphozoa could grin, it probably would as victory was in sight. 

But, of course, that was always the point when one or two of the warriors from Earth would break through the monster barrier and scare him off. This case was no exception, and a few well-placed laser arrow shots send the brain-sucking squid packing.

"Aelita!" Odd ran to help her up. "You OK, Princess? Say something!"

The virtual princess looked up at him with a rather cheeky grin and said, quite literally, "Something."

"Hey, quit stealing my material!" Kitty Boy complained before the two made their way back to the tower.

* * *

As Dewey struggled to fend off one of the MegaTanks, the other found an unprotected section of the candy cane tower and opened fire. Sammy saw this happening and jumped in the way. "Oh, no you don't!" But, before he had time to redraw his weapon, the monster's laser smacked him down and back to the polar ice cap from whence he came. 

Just as the MegaTank rounded on the other two, who were distracted long enough for the other monster to take a few strikes at the tower, something stabbed the former's Eye from behind. As it exploded, Hermey stood rooted to the spot, candy saber drawn and face clenched up anxiously.

Joey smiled. "I gotta hand it to you, Herm. Sammy really underestimates you."

Hermey responded to the comment with a rather modest smile. But, the moment was broken by the blast of the remaining MegaTank. Reminded why they were there, the remaining Elvin Force Three got back to work.

* * *

The remaining Block that guarded the red tower saw the advancing Lyoko warriors and opened fire on them, quite literally. The two dodged the flaming rings as Odd tore past and dashed around the tower. The monster turned to stare down Aelita when Odd came around the other side and ambushed it. With that last monster gone, Aelita tore into the tower. 

Joey was thrown back by a near miss from a MegaTank's blast just as Aelita reached the center of the tower and began floating up. And, while the MegaTank charged up to fire at the tower again, Aelita had reached the upper platform and placed her hand on the interface, and the final blow shut the candy cane tower down.

Joey fell back, moaning in defeat, "Ah, chestnuts!"

_Without Santa's assist, will Aelita deactivate the tower in time? Find out next time._


	6. The Big Guy's Visit

_Wow... not much in the way of reviews._

_SamandMax0569 - Well, at least you've been reading enough to review the latest chapter._

_MooMoo - Well, if you happen to come here, I'm glad you like my _other_ stories._

_Now, let's see the outcome of our christmas caper. XD_

**Holiday Magic**

**Chapter 6: The Big Guy's Visit**

"**AELITA**"

"**CODE**"

* * *

Xanafied Comet sneered as the glow left the Santa statue's eyes and it collapsed to the ground. He turned his attention to the two lovebirds in denial. "Now for you..." He raised his hoof to strike down Ulrich and Yumi.

* * *

"**L**…  
**Y**…  
**O**…  
**K**…  
**O**"

* * *

But, before the blow could be made, the glow left Comet's eyes as well, along with X.A.N.A.'s Eye.

* * *

"_Tower deactivated,_" Ricky heard Aelita say as he saw a bright burst of light come from the corridor. After that, the orange glow of the Guardian had gone entirely, and the little genius knew what that meant. 

A few moments later, Jeremie had come to, seeing Ricky concernedly staring him down. "R-Ricky...?"

"It's OK," he told him with a slight smile. "X.A.N.A. had you trapped, but we managed to free you."

Jeremie frowned as he said, "Ricky, listen... about a couple days ago, I'm really sorry... It's just..."

But, Ricky cut him off. "You don't have to apologize, Jerry. If you don't believe, that's your problem."

The older boy genius couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, and I should keep that problem to myself."

As the two laughed, Ricky remembered, "Oh, there's a mall with a few million in property damage right now. I should probably... you know, go launch the return trip."

* * *

As soon as Ulrich and Yumi realized how close they were to each other, they broke apart blushing. "So..." piped up Ulrich with an awkward smile, "Ready for a return to the past?" As Yumi smiled and nodded, the familiar flood of light surrounded them.

* * *

Jeremie leaned back in the Supercomputer chair giving Ricky a skeptic smile. "So, you're saying a group of virtual elves were protecting the candy cane tower used to reanimate the Santa statue..." 

"It's true!" countered the little boy. "Cousin, you saw Santa save your life, right?"

Ulrich shrugged. "Well, the Santa _statue_, at least."

"Which was being controlled, via the candy cane tower, by the real guy," concluded Ricky.

The older boy genius rolled his eyes with a cracked smile. "If you say so, Rick."

"Why not give the boy's story a chance?" asked a jolly voice that seemed to come from nowhere. The kids looked to the far end of the room and saw a large, bearded man in a red suit.

Jeremie stared suspiciously at him. "Who are you and how did you get in here?"

"Who do you think I am, Jeremie Belpois?" As the old man approached the group, he reached into the pocket inside his jacket and pulled something out for him. "I believe this is for you. Better late than never, but I figured the latest version would do."

With eyes as wide as saucers, Jeremie inspected the box he was handed. The front read, in bold letters, **proCAD 2005**. He gazed up at the man, eyes welling up, and suddenly pulled into a warm embrace. "Thank you... Santa."

Ricky grinned. "What did I tell 'ya?"

The three Lyoko warriors stared incredulously, but Aelita seemed a bit more accepting of the revelation. Finding his voice, Odd stammered. "Y-you mean... this guy's... really..."

Santa Claus glanced over at the purple boy and smiled. "Ho ho ho... if it isn't Odd Della Robbia. I'm a little concerned with your consistent dating of so many young ladies, but you made the nice list anyway." With a wink, he produced a box and handed it to him. It contained a brand new digital camera.

Odd grinned. "Yes! This will really help me film my new upcoming masterpiece, _Natural Grandeur_! Thanks, big buy!" He gave him a thumb's up.

"As for this lovely, young girl..." Santa turned his attention to Aelita and pulled out a familiar elf plushie.

Her eyes lit up and she hugged her beloved doll. "Mr. Puck!"

"I had my listkeeper, Dewey, patch him up, good as new," the toyman told her with a smile. "Well, I asked Hermey first, but he can only do teeth."

As Aelita snuggled her doll, she smiled up and said, "Thanks, Santa."

"_Hey, there's a piece of coal in here!_"

Everyone turned to Jeremie who had pulled a small, black stone out of his software box. Santa just smirked. "Even though you somewhat redeemed yourself, you still thoughtlessly tested a little boy's faith."

With a silly grin, the younger boy genius leaned up to the older and suggested, "You know, you could make use of that coal by burning it to roast a marshmallow to make me a s'more."

Pretty much everyone just laughed.

* * *

The following night, the whole gang attended the Christmas dance. Ricky came and brought along Hiroki who, in turn, brought their school friends, Andy and Mac. Andy's little sister, Ginger, came was well since her best friend, Sarah--whose parents usually babysat Ginger--was out of town for the holidays. 

"Well, of course, the guy at the mall isn't the real Santa!" Ricky told Ginger regarding something an older kid had said to her the other day. "Don't you visit the website?"

She shook her head with a frown. "No, my mommy and daddy say I'm not allowed on the Internet yet."

Ricky sighed and explained somewhat impatiently, "Santa uses syntho-cloning technology to create numerous doppelgangers of himself to represent him in the many malls and post offices around the world! Duh!"

"Oh."

Ricky tore out a piece of notepad paper and scribbled down a web address, and then he handed the sheet to the little girl. "Here. First thing after achieving web privileges, look this site up." He then picked up a cup of eggnog and brought it to his lips, but Andy snatched the cup away.

"Whoa, careful, _il mio compagno intelligente_," he said as he placed the cup back. "Your cousin warned me about what all that eggnog does to you."

The American boy shrugged. "What? Can I help it if the mix of eggs and sugar goes to my head?"

Jim's shout of, "_Hey, you there! Put your pants back on, kid!_" immediately put the two boys to the conclusion that Mac was the one giving him problems.

"And, yet it will never make me as crazy as that guy," the boy genius concluded.

His friend just cracked a small smile and warned him, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch, Rick."

* * *

Ulrich had grabbed a punch and had just met up with Yumi. "So... we had an interesting week, huh?" she said. 

He chuckled softly. "Yeah... not every day a big reindeer threatens to kill you. I don't even hunt, so 'what goes around comes around' doesn't qualify."

"_Oh, cuz!_" They turned to see Ricky a short distance away with Andy and his sister. "_Watcha standing under?_"

I think you know what they saw when the looked up. Yes, a mistletoe. Ulrich glanced back and said, "Oh, very funny, Patrick."

Ricky grinned. Ulrich only called him Patrick when he was in trouble or his cousin was just annoyed, and he knew it was the latter. Nonetheless, Ulrich and Yumi glanced at each other awkwardly, paused for a moment, and then kissed.

As the boy genius' grin grew even further, another boy wheeled up next to him. "So, how long do you think it will be before they go back into denial?" asked Roger. When Ricky gave him a mild glare, he added defensively, "Just asking! Say, could you help me up here?" He held up a crutch and started pulling himself toward it.

After Ricky helped Roger onto the crutch, he supported all of his weight on it and cleared his throat. "Attention, everyone!" he called to get everyone there to look at him. When he knew they were watching, he smiled and said, "God bless us everyone!"

Some people awed while most chuckled, and then everyone went back to their business. As Roger was helped back into his wheelchair, Ricky laughed and asked, "What was _that_ all about?"

Roger shrugged. "Ah, I thought it would be a fun thing to do. You know, 'tis the season."

**CODE  
END...**

_So, how was that ending? I thought I'd give my paraplegic character a pre-introduction before his official Season 3 debut. XD Well, that ends my holiday story, and I hope you tune in for my next fanfic... whenever I get to writing one. Well, see you then._


End file.
